Chapter 1059 Advancement of the Agricultural System

Outside Pingyang City, Zao Zhi slowly led the horse and walked along the paths in the fields with some attendants and guards. After riding a horse for a long time, both thighs look like they are not their own. Dismounting and stepping on the ground can be regarded as a recovery.

Pingyang Canal has been completely restored as a whole, and some improvements have been made on the original basis. For example, a lot of waterwheels, both hydraulic and manpower, have been used, which has alleviated many water intake problems, making The farmland on both sides of Pingyang Canal is basically free from the threat of drought.

The reform of the agricultural tax is a relatively big step forward for Fei Qian, and the main person in charge is Zao Zhi. After all, he has always been responsible for the farming in this area.

To be honest, the Han Dynasty was quite good in this regard. The preferential treatment policy for farmers was respected from top to bottom. Even during the period when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty fought against the Huns, the treasury was depleted several times, but taxes were not increased indiscriminately. During the period of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty, , that is, selling his official position and conferring a title is criticized by others, but it is not said that he cleverly created a pretext to increase taxes to extort ordinary people.

So this time Fei Qian said that he would be exempted from oral taxes and servitude, which was naturally a big deal for ordinary people. In order to ensure that such good governance can be implemented and that grassroots officials will not take advantage of it, Zao Zhi has been traveling back and forth in the surrounding area during this period of time.

Ordinary people are illiterate, so the so-called government orders can only be passed down orally. When they arrive at a village gathering point, they gather people, make unified announcements, and then answer questions. After such a trip, Zao Zhi feels like his legs are running away. A bit thinner.

Overall, there are some problems, but for now it seems to be OK. They are exempted from oral tax and labor service. Although there is a slight increase in land tax, these old farmers still make a profit, so they are very happy. , willing to accept. For the grassroots officials, after all, Pingyang has only been under construction for a short time. Many officials have not been in office for long, and some have to retire from the army due to injuries. Therefore, it is difficult to implement the orders of General Zhengxi. There is rarely a phenomenon of being obedient and obedient.

In fact, the most important reason is that during this period, Fei Qian fought several battles with Xianbei and captured a large number of Xianbei people, and these people became the best substitute for the rough labor of the farmers. Of course, some important projects will still be completed by recruiting Han people, but since they are recruiting, they are paid, not free labor.

Many things change with the changes of the times. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the country was not too big. Whether it was military service or military service, even from the interior of the country to the national border, it was not too far away. Now that the Han Dynasty had a vast territory, such a military service system was naturally very problematic. Therefore, Fei Qian ordered its abolition, but did not receive much support.

But Fei Qian still dared not touch the farm system easily.

Even though Fei Qian knew clearly that land annexation was a time bomb in feudal society. When it developed to a certain state, it would explode once at a certain time, but he still couldn't touch it.

Why is it possible for later generations? It is a specific practice in a specific period. Moreover, productivity has developed to a certain level. The closed small-scale peasant economy has been almost crushed under the semi-feudal and semi-colonial situation, so it was integrated again and a new model was adopted. …

But now, whoever disturbs the private ownership of land will be the enemy of the world!

Even the so-called enemies are not only other princes, but also their own people.

Fighting on the battlefield, soldiers wrapped in horse leather, what are they going through life and death for? Is it so that Fei Qian can conquer the local tycoons and divide their land so that everyone in the world can have their own land? Hehe, what a joke, it’s just so that you can become a new rich man! If Fei Qian deprived these people of their source of motivation, how many would be filled with the fearless proletarian spirit to follow Fei Qian in making revolution?

What's more, after these people become new wealthy people, land annexation will still be an unstoppable historical trend.

It's just that Feiqian's stepped land tax system can more or less inhibit the snowballing development and spread of land annexation to a certain extent.

Whether this stepped land tax system can be implemented smoothly depends on what happens after this year's autumn harvest...

Zao Zhi was walking when he suddenly stopped and greeted a farmer who was busy in the fields: "My husband! My husband!"

The farmer who was weeding with bare feet in the field heard the sound and slowly straightened up. When he saw Ke Zaozhi and his party, he quickly said: "I don't dare to be called such by the noble. I wonder what happened to the noble... Ah, isn't this Zaocong Cao?" , ah ah ah, the little old man is saluting Zaocong Cao!"

After saying that, the old man in the field dropped his hoe, cupped his fists with both hands, and bowed deeply towards Zao Zhi.

"Please get up quickly, sir!" Zao Zhi said quickly, "...I am just thirsty after walking and want to ask for a bowl of water. If my husband is so polite, I don't dare to nag..."

"Hey..." The old farmer was a little flustered when he heard this. He was afraid that Zao Zhi would just turn around and leave, so he quickly said, "...Don't blame Zao Cong Cao, don't blame me! It's just the little old man who doesn't know how to speak! The little old man is going to do it now Pour the water!"

Although Zao Zhi is young, because he was in charge of mulberry farming near Pingyang, he spent almost every day in the fields. In addition, there are several experimental fields of Zao Zhi in the south of the city, and the growth is better than that of ordinary farmers. Therefore, the farmers near Pingyang don't know much about the so-called fertilization, plowing depth, spacing, etc. They basically think that jujube is the god of agriculture sent from heaven, and they wish they could enshrine jujube in their own homes. On the land, so that his own crops can be as prosperous as an experimental field...

The old farmer applied Tao Wan again and again, then carefully poured a bowl of water and handed it to Zao Zhi.

Zao Zhi didn't mind it either. He took the Tao Wan, took two sips, then pointed to the field and said, "Look at this Zhuanghe growing well, I guess I can harvest four or five stones in the autumn!"

The old farmer grinned, laughed, and said: "I'm asking Cao Jiyan for the help! Last year, I collected nearly four stones. This year, it seems to be good..."

Zao Zhi chatted for a few more words, mainly to find out how much the farmer knew about agricultural taxes. Then he nodded, said goodbye to the farmer, and headed for Pingyang.

The old farmer looked at Zao Zhi's leaving figure, then held the Tao Wan in his hand. Suddenly he was excited and quickly put the Tao Wan into his arms. He looked around, fearing that others would see it, and he was no longer busy with farm work, so he hurried home. .

This Tao Wan was used by Zaocong Cao!

No matter what, I have to find a good place at home and offer it. Maybe I can also use some of the magical power of Zaocongcao to make the crops on my farm grow better...

…………………………

"What? Raising pigs?" Zao Zhi raised his eyebrows and said to Fei Qian in disbelief.

Fei Qian looked at Zao Zhi and chuckled: "That's right, Zijing, this matter must be done quickly... Not only pigs, Bai Shiqiang will also send some sheep in a while, so they went to the south of Pingyang City to look for them together. A place...by the way, how about in Baibo Valley?"

"Baibo Valley?" Zao Zhi thought for a moment, nodded and said, "...If it is used to raise livestock, it would be a good place. Just build some fences at the entrance and exit..." Baibo Valley is indeed good, with mountain springs and Plant aquatic plants, and then seal the exit, so you don’t have to worry about livestock getting lost or intrusion from surrounding wild animals. It is indeed a good place.

"But, Lord, why are you raising pigs?" Zao Zhi said, "... pigs are easy to produce fishy odor and are prone to diseases when eaten, so they are cheap meat... We are raising so many this time... this..."

China has indeed started raising pigs very early, and the pig species seems to have only been found on the Eurasian continent at the earliest. In the ancient pre-Qin period, there were different distinctions between pigs, and specific words such as dolphin to refer to boars and pigs to refer to sows came into being. The feces produced by pigs were also valued by farmers as an important source of farmyard manure.

Nomads don’t like raising pigs because even after domestication, pigs still have some sense of territoriality, so they are not naturally suitable for population migration like cattle and sheep. However, it is different for farming peoples. With the development of settled agriculture, With the development, pig breeding has gradually been promoted to an important position.

However, because the nobles did not like it, the scale of pig breeding was still small in the Han Dynasty. The gentry in the Han Dynasty mainly disliked pigs because they tended to produce a fishy smell...

If Fei Qian hadn't understood it carefully, he might not have known the secret.

Fishy, ​​in the Han Dynasty, does not mean fishy smell. Although pork does have a strong smell, people in the Han Dynasty can accept mutton boiled in plain water without any spices. So what does it matter if the pork smells stronger? ?

"Zhou Li Tianguan Zhongzai" contains the sentence "... fishy and smelly cannot be eaten...". This is the meaning of fishy smell in the Han Dynasty. In other words, fishy does not mean that the meat tastes bad, but literally It means there are stars in the flesh...

That's the pork tapeworm.

This most common pig parasitic disease did not receive enough attention in the Han Dynasty. We did not even understand why it occurred or how it developed. We just knew that if there was such a "fishy" smell on the meat, it should not be eaten.

And "smell" simply means that the meat is smelly and cannot be eaten.

As the nobles of the Han Dynasty, it was common to eat barbecue and other things. When the barbecue was cooked, the pork tapeworms were not easily killed, so the children of these nobles often got parasitic diseases, and without effective detoxification In the Han Dynasty when insect medicine was used, this disease was often fatal...

Although Fei Qian is not a medical student, he has seen situations in some pig houses or some breeding farms in movies and TV. One of the key points is the humidity and filth of the environment, and the interaction between animal and human feces. Infect.

傂, in Chinese characters, means a place where pigs are raised, and it also means a toilet. That is to say, in the early days of the development of the entire pig breeding industry, pigs were raised directly in toilets...

"That's right, Xu Zijing should pay more attention..." Fei Qian said, "The fishy smell is a disease of pigs, and the smell is a fault of the existence, not the fault of domestic pigs... Moreover, domestic pigs are easy to give birth to and reproduce frequently. If they are raised properly, they can continuously supply blood food. If this method is written down and passed down to future generations, it will be no less than the achievements of Shen Nong..."

Zao Zhi cupped his hands and said: "How dare you compare yourself to Shennong... Since the king has decided, I will follow suit..."

Fei Qian laughed and said: "Zijing, please don't be too humble. It is said that there are people who built a shrine for you around Pingyang..."

When Fei Qian said this, he was probably just doing it for fun, and didn't mean anything else. But the speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Zao Zhi couldn't help but feel a jump in his heart. He quickly prostrated and said: "...Please forgive me, sir. I really didn't know this..."

"Ah?" Only then did Fei Qian react. He pondered for a moment. He did not directly say anything about asking Zao Zhi to flatten himself. Instead, he stood up, walked to Zao Zhi, lifted Zao Zhi up with his own hands, and then held Zaozhi's arm said, "Zijing, I made a mistake, I shouldn't tease Zijing about this... Attacking Xianbei and recovering Yinshan is a temporary achievement. Although it is glorious at the moment, it may be wiped out a hundred years later. And Zijing's merits are beneficial to agriculture and mulberry trees, and the people of the world can benefit from them for hundreds of thousands of years! Although these merits are not outstanding, they have benefited the world, and they are just receiving some incense from the temple, so what's wrong with it?"

"But...but," Zao Zhi argued, "...this is not the fault of any one person! As far as taking Zhuanghe is concerned, deep plowing, topdressing, soil plowing, seedling cultivation, and even seed selection, the monarch Although there are many documents and documents, and there have been battles in the south and north, I have also asked many times and solved my doubts... If it were not for the guidance of the monarch, how could I have done it? But there is no place for the monarch in this life... How can I enjoy it shamelessly? ! This is absolutely impossible!”

Fei Qian smiled and patted Zao Zhi on the shoulder and said: "Haha, if it weren't for you, would I still have the reputation of being a farmer, raising pigs and sheep? When others mention someone, just say "that cow and sheep" General? I have to thank Zijing for taking on the bad reputation for me... Hahaha, let's leave it at that, don't mention it again..."

"How is this notoriety..." Zao Zhi sighed, knowing that Fei Qian's words were reasonable, so he stopped continuing the topic.

The Han Dynasty nobles have come to the present, and some of the problems of the Wei and Jin Dynasties have been exposed. Talking and talking is just a habit. Maybe it is not a big problem. Refining elixirs and taking medicine has become a kind of elegance. Maybe it is just poisoning one's body. Why? It can be said that it is these people's own business, but some remarks and thoughts are harming the entire society.

Chen Fan's sweeping the world seems to have become the motto of some people. Just like someone often talks about paying attention to farm work, but in fact when it is his turn to do farm work, he will put on a face of "How can I do such a despicable thing?"...

"...In addition, this year's autumn harvest is the first harvest of the land tax reform..." Fei Qian put away his smile and said, "... Zijing, I have something to tell you... Pingyang Zuo is farming. The number, etc., Zijing knows best. If someone is corrupt and conceals it during the Autumn Fu, he will be punished severely... He will definitely punish him severely!" Fei Qian is almost certain that among these officials in the middle and lower classes, it cannot be said that all They are bad people, but there must be a few rats who are bright on the outside but dirty on the inside.

During this period of war in the south and north, there has been no proper rectification. We just took this opportunity to implement a new tax system for agricultural and mulberry trees, and also to rectify the officialdom...